Three Balinese men sentenced to 6 years for violent assault that led to man’s death

Two brothers and their friend have been sentenced to six years in jail over the death of Aka Haleku Marambatana on May 13. Photo: Humas Polda Bali / Facebook

Two brothers and their friend have been sentenced to six years in jail over the death of Aka Haleku Marambatana, who died in September of last year after he was beaten and then stabbed multiple times.

I Gusti Bagus Deva Aditya (Deva), 21, I Gusti Bagus Surya Adiaksa (Surya), 18, and I Ketut Alit Wiguna (Alit), 20, were found guilty by the Denpasar District Court on Monday. Deva and Surya are siblings.

“We sentence the defendants to six years imprisonment,” said IGN Partha Barghawa, who led the panel of judges, as quoted by NusaBali.

The sentence handed down by the panel of judges was slightly more lenient than the prosecutor’s demand of eight years. Under Indonesia’s criminal code, the defendants could have faced up to 12 years in prison for violent assault leading to death.

According to a report from the Jawa Pos network, Aka was killed in September 2018 after getting into a verbal fight with Surya, who had been drinking with Deva and Alit. Riled up by the heated exchange, Aka reportedly took a knife from the kitchen and tried to attack Surya, who was able to fend off the assault, but instead hit Aka’s jaw.

The knife slipped from Aka’s hands then, only to be picked up by Deva, who proceeded to stab Aka three times. Aka managed to run away but Deva went after him and stabbed him in the neck when he caught up.

Aka, with the knife still stuck to his throat, fell into a ditch. While that might have been enough to ensure his demise, Alit caught up with them with a machete in hand, which he brought down on Aka’s back.

The prosecutors in the case said they have yet decided whether or not they will appeal the verdict, but the defendants have already said they had accepted the sentence.

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